STATE HOUSING SCHEME

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 35, 25 February 1937, Page 13

STATE HOUSING SCHEME

-Preas Asaociation.)

' ' m mm n i Builders See Failure Ahead TOO ELAB0RATE

(By Telegraph-

TIMARU, Last Night. The annual couference of the New j Zealand Federated Builders and GOS' tractors' Association opened at Timaru to-day^ Mt. W. Mill ("WelUngtQn) pre--sidifig/ The delegates were accorded a warm welcome by the Mayor of Timaru, Mr. P. N. Vinuell. In his presidlential address Mr. Mill referred to the Government hqu§ing scheme and said builders appreciated the action of the Government in haviug hssociated with them, the Institute of Architects in the preparation of plans' ifor the housing scheme but he could iuot help thinking it would have been jwiser had they xequested the co-opera-jtion of builders and, through their executive, submitted an average dcsign' in order to ascertain the possible cost,. before committiug themselvcs to suchi tn important and! expensive policy. Pri-; vate concerns elsewhere had adoptedi eomewhat similar action before finally jCQjnmitting themselvcs to a major jschemc. Hon. H, T. Armstrong had' itold them in an address at the last con-j ference that "a very deeent house could fbe built for £750 and the man who takes' a more expensive propositlon placesj ihimself in an impossible position." If! ithc Minister 's words were worfch any-1 jthing at ail, it looked as though the1 building venture of the Government would mean failure. It appeared tbat the trouble lay not with the idea of the Government to provide very necessary houses but. with an uncalled for and more elaborate thing than was justificd. ThO Conferetuce decided to ack thoj